Concrete odor

A new concrete floor was poured in the basement of my home that is under construction. After 8 weeks there is still a strong odor.

I am chemically sensitive and afraid that this may be a problem for me when I move in. I was told that this is a normal cement odor.

What could be causing this odor and will it off gas over time? We will be pouring another layer of cement for radiant heating. Will this help contain the odor? And what kind of cement should I ask for?

5 Answers

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1.

I love that smell. It's the smell of construction progress. I don't think it's a harmful smell (unlike just about every other smell in the construction world). I'm no chemist and I'm not sure which part of the chemistry process you are smelling, but concrete is basically made thusly: Limestone is heated to enormous temperatures to burn out the carbon (which is vaulted into the air in massive amounts) it then crumbles into a powder (lime). Silica (very, very fine sand) is added. Now all you need to do is add water to it and the lime will brake the water (throwing off heat) and use the hydrogen to bond the silica (SiO2 is close a relative to CO2 in the periodic table) and will start to form a solid anound and between the rocks (or aggregate) in the mix. Ta da. Man-made rock. As the concrete cures the chemistry will slow and the odor will go away until it is undetectable.

Now, sometimes adatives or pigments are thrown in, but I don't think what you are smelling is any kind of petro-chemical smell. You are probably smelling something akin to wet mud.